BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
THE CITIZENS THEATRE, GLASGOW - 2010
DIRECTED BY GUY HOLLANDS
LIGHTING DESIGN BY COLIN GRENFELL
★ NOMINATED FOR 'BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE' - 2010/11 C.A.T.S AWARDS.
"Around the Beast's Castle there are burning-eyed creatures in the wild wood whose silver-grey roots, in Philip Witcomb's designs, thrust themselves organically through and around the proscenium."
"It's true that there are some genuinely challenging moments. A Christmas treat, no question, but one to send you out thinking rather than singing and dancing."
The Times ★★★★
"Philip Witcomb's haunted-house set is brooding."
"Guy Hollands's serious-minded production, is lush, dreamlike, creepy and emotionally satisfying."
The Guardian ★★★★
"IF YOU are a theatre lover - a fan of high drama, sweeping spectacle, and fearless emotion - then there's no doubt which Christmas show should be your first choice this year."
"Alan McHugh's new version of Beauty and the Beast, directed by Guy Hollands on a fabulous grey-and-silver set by Philip Witcomb - all cobwebs and whirling birch forests, with a great, howling moon - is a superb piece of musical theatre, beautiful to look at, magnificently acted, and powerfully sung."
"This remains an astonishingly powerful new take on a familiar story, swept up into a seamless and gorgeous piece of theatre."
The Scotsman ★★★★
"The Beast, imprisoned in the grey decaying grandeur of Philip Witcomb's atmospheric set, running wild through the midnight forest that, on a revolve, shifts and spins to breath-taking effect."
"This isn't Disney, it isn't a jolly panto. The music and songs, like McHugh's themes, have depths of sophistication best suited to older children - but in every way, from the captivating visual impact to the superb acting, this is the stuff of memorable theatre."
The Herald ★★★★
"Haunted by the spirits which chilled the Dickensian Christmases, Philip Witcomb's design is breathtakingly beautiful, a highlight not just of the season but of the year. It captures the decaying grandeur of the British Empire in the Regency period, all dusty grey foot servants and enamelled mirrors. Part Universal horror film and part Victorian Gothic, Witcomb has created something both cinematic and nightmarish."
"The Citizens Theatre has, once again, created something very special, a production red in tooth and claw that sets the heart both fluttering and racing. Gloriously lit by Colin Greenfell, visceral in its design and aurally rich, Beauty and the Beast is more than just another pantomime of comic faces in gooey gowns."
"This is a feast for anyone who wants more from a Christmas show than a handful of caught sweets."
WhatsOnStage ★★★★ OnstageScotland ★★★★
"In general, this show eschews the typical squeaky clean, 'look behind you' nature of the Christmas production. The ending, twisted into a more realistic resolution, fits with designer Philip Witcomb's gothic imagery, bringing out the light and shade of the story itself."
The List ★★★★
"Beauty and the Beast offers an engaging and intelligent take on the mythology."
"Hollands and McHugh share a serious intention, supported by a detailed and versatile set."
The Stage
"The Citizens Beauty and the Beast is a classy Christmas cracker."
"Call of the wild makes for an enchanting Gothic horror you can really sink your teeth into."
"Two years ago, Jemima Levick's highly imaginative production of the French fairytale at Dundee Rep proved one of the highlights of the Scottish theatre calendar. Guy Hollands' production at the Citz, while very different in style, is no less enchanting or gripping. If anything it's darker."
"Jim Sturgeon's Beast meanwhile is not so much a study in rage, as embarrassment and humiliation, and all the more effective for it."
"It all makes for a heady, and dare one say it, Freudian mix. One in which McHugh opts for a different ending than is usual that seems more in keeping with the moral heart of the story."
STV